Unfortunately, my, in my opinion, a well-deserved moment of rest was quickly broken, as I could hear the distinct sound of leather, wood and paper being gnawed at. In other words, it would seem that the baby dragon that I had brought home with me had decided to finish her exploration at the stacks of books that stood next to my overfull bookcases. I was a hoarder, sue me.

  One tended to gather quite the collection when one had lived as long as me. Especially, when one also worked as a researcher and wrote roughly half of them yourself. Besides, each lich needed its hobby. For some that entailed destroying the living world, for me it entailed that and, when I gave up on that pipedream, collecting and writing books. Not that I had any real ambition for the former.

  Those very books that the baby dragon was currently taste-testing, so I got up with a groan and walked over to the mischievous hatchling.

  “I thought I’d asked you to leave my belongings alone?” I fruitlessly inquired, so I picked her up and brought her to my eye level with a sigh. “Books are for learning, not for eating. Books. Not. Food.”

  All I got in reply for my reprimand was a yawn from the troublemaker. I shook my head in amusement and carry her to my unused bedroom, where I make a little nest with my covers and pillow for her to sleep in and place her down in it.

  “Sleep tight, little one,” I whisper softly, before I quietly leave the bedroom and go to my study, which doubles as my office. I still had things to do, like writing a report on the elimination of a dangerous magical phenomenon to the Adventurer Guild and the observations I’d made of it for my own scientific curiosity. It wasn’t a known phenomenon, so I doubted I would write a book about it, let alone a paper. But it was still interesting and good form to document such things even if it wasn’t some big discovery.

  My ascension, or descension depending on whom you ask, into lichhood had brought with it quite a few changes. For one, my hair used to be raven black. Secondly, my eyes were a piercing blue. Thirdly, my skin used to be slightly tan. Fourthly, I used to need to sleep, eat and drink. That last one has been both the greatest blessing and the hardest challenge. For what was joy, if not the break from the monotonous? It had been hard to keep a grip on reality when reality could slip by in the blink of an eye.

  So, I had struggled, and I found myself struggling again. That I’d forgotten to inform Eweleanor wasn’t some coincidence, I was losing my grasp on reality. Or more accurately, on time. With more time on my hands than I knew what to do with, my mind had started to dissociate. And more worryingly, dredge up the past.

  I’d be the first one to admit that I haven’t been perfect and that founding Paideia, the school I taught at, was my way of seeking redemption from my past deeds. However, in the quiet and dark hours of the day, I sometimes couldn’t help but revert back to my literal darkest days. Days I desperately wished I could forget, even if I know that doing so would lessen me.

  I leaned back in my chair and sighed heavily. I counted to ten, whilst reminding myself that I wasn’t alone, before I took a deep breath and resumed my work. Maybe I could focus my mind on more pleasant things? Like the baby dragon that is probably going to wake up any second now to demand more food.

  I glanced in the direction of where she was sleeping. Speaking of, I should probably think of a name for her. However, even that was proving difficult, as she reminded me of someone I didn’t, couldn’t, think about.

  I got up – my work half abandoned – and walk back into the living room. There on the mantle of the fireplace lay a crystal-clear bottle on a wooden frame. Inside it was not a ship, as many might have assumed, but a miniature skeleton of a dragon.

  I placed my hand on the bottle and caressed it like one would a long lost loved one.

  “What do you say, old friend? It would be fitting don’t you think? I mean, she does resemble you,” I said quietly, before I chuckle softly to myself. “Including the tendency to nibble on things you shouldn’t.”

  Of course, all I got in response was utter silence, so I sighed and let go of the skeleton in a bottle. Which was perfect timing, as I heard a faint squeak, followed by a dulled thud, signalling that the little rascal had woken up.

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  The still inept hunter squeezed through the crack in the door, that I left ajar in order to hear what she might be up to, while I’m already waiting for her with the pouch of meat bites. She let out an excited and demanding squeak once she laid eyes on me, and the pouch.

  I chuckled and shook my head in amusement, as the baby dragon quickly waddled over to me. I picked her up when she’s close and placed her on my shoulder, before I started feeding her and walked out onto my balcony.

  I leaned again the stone banister on the side of the balcony, so I could look out over the village and the valley. Though, some of it was obscured by the castle walls. I could still point out landmarks to the intrepid explorer.

  “Down there is Paideia Village. And that, the wide and snaking blue, is the Fides River. It flows all the way from those mountains over there, the Arxine Mountains, all the way north to the Mediarene Sea. Up there, shining down on us during the night, is Viridna.

  “She’s said to be the wife of Nox, the god of the night, and the two of them meet every night under the brilliant light of the stars. However, she has another lover, her true love, whom she chases after but is only able to meet a few times a year. For Sola, the goddess of the sun, and Viridna cannot meet more often, lest they invoke the wrath of their respective husbands.”

  The baby dragon let out a few excited squeaks, even though she was unable to understand what I was saying. But that didn’t matter, just being able to teach her about the world was rewarding regardless. I stroked her along the ridge on her back, as I looked at the night sky and hummed thoughtfully to myself.

  Eventually, I took her from my shoulder and held her up so I can look her in the eyes.

  “What do you think about Fluminix?”

  The baby dragon tilted its head in confusion, and I chuckled.

  “As your name.”

  Young Fluminix yawned in response, as it was time for her to go to sleep again. So, I carried her back inside and put her in her makeshift nest again, before I returned to my work, feeling a bit better again.

  *******

  I was taken from my ruminations on the magical phenomenon, when a hungry Fluminix entered my study with a demanding squeak. So, I got up and picked her up to feed her some more from the meat pouch.

  As I entered the living room the late morning sun shone into my face, causing me to squint in annoyance.

  “Let’s go see what the annoyed ewe woman wishes to tell me, huh?” I wondered aloud, whilst I gave her gentle head scratches.

  I made my way downstairs to the entrance of the main faculty housing building, where the adjacent buildings connect to this one. I took a left once I reached the ground floor and entered the main administration building, where at the top floor the headmistress had her office.

  I knocked politely on the door, not wanting to upset the woman yet again.

  “Enter,” came from inside almost instantly, so I entered her office. Which... was a cluttered mess of memorabilia, most of which not even hers. Apparently, she thought that this was also part of how a headteacher should be.

  She looked up when the door opened, and I could see some lingering frustration from yesterday appear on her visage. Good thing I knocked, wasn’t it?

  “Ah, Morgana...,” she said wearily. “Please sit down.”

  I took the offered seat across her cluttered desk, which I had already on my way to do anyway.

  “What is it you wanted to discuss?” I asked. “Aside from the obvious, of course.”

  She sighed wearily.

  “Nothing...,” she relented. “Because even if I brought it up, you wouldn’t have done anything with it.”

  Well, that caused me to frown. I wasn't that much of a menace, was I? Well, shit that thought made me sigh in defeat.

  “I’m sorry,” I started. “It would appear that I have the case of millennium blues.”

  A concerned raised eyebrow led me to think that further explanation might be needed. Not everybody was immortal, after all.

  “The same kind that led to me founding this school,” I explained, if barely, before I waved away her concern. “Anyway, let’s get down to business. Did you manage to get substitute teachers organised? Despite my, admittedly, sudden departure.”

  She stared at me for a moment, probably uncertain whether or not she should let my admittance of depression go, before she sighed in reluctance.

  “Luckily we have substitute teachers on standby for one of your sudden departures, so it only caused us a day of cancelled classes,” she explained, before she handed me a large stack of papers. “These are all the topics discussed by them and the results of the end of term exams from last year. As well as the lesson plan they made for this year, including what has already been discussed.”

  I nodded in understanding after I took the stack from her.

  “I see,” I said. “I'll read them before I resume my teaching tomorrow. I take it the schedule is included in this?”

  She nodded with a slightly sheepish expression, apparently, she had forgotten to mention it. Which was fair, because this was my first leave of absence since she’d become the headmistress about a decade ago.

  After some pleasant goodbyes, I left her office and dropped off the letter to the Adventurer Guild downstairs at the reception, before heading back to my chambers via the kitchen.

  Soon enough, I returned to my living room, where Fluminix, sho-rtly after having been placed on the floor, was once again trying to devour my books. With a tired sigh, I simply cast a barrier spell between her and my books.

  Unfortunately, it turned out that the rascal thought it was a fun game…